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tchallasbabymama · 2 years

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Troubled Waters Finale

Author’s note at the end. Enjoy! 😘

Word Count: 7,281

CW: smut

In her dream, Nia settled onto the riverbank and watched a distantly familiar little girl with wing-shaped scars on her back meet a lonely prince.

“Can I swim with you?” the girl asked, and Nia noticed the boy’s face light up.

“Sure, but...where did you come from?” He asked, his head swiveling around to look for some sign of her entry. “You just sort of came out of nowhere.”

“My ubaba says I’m sneaky like that.” The girl shrugged and skillfully changed the subject. “Want to play tag?”

The boy responded with a vigorous nod, his missing front teeth on full display as he grinned from ear to ear.

“You’re it!” he yelled and swam away as fast as he could.

Nia couldn’t help the lazy smile on her lips as she watched her younger self shimmy out of her romper and jump into the water with a splash.

A rustling to Nia’s left pulled her attention away from the memory, and Bast emerged from the brush. The goddess looked healthy in her full panther form with gold hoop earrings decorating her ears and a usekh around her neck that matched Nia’s.

“Simpler times,” sighed Bast as she padded over and joined Nia on the riverbank.

“Much simpler,” Nia agreed with a melancholy nod before carefully examining her ancestor’s appearance. “You look well.”

Bast bared her sharp teeth in a smile that would appear menacing if not for the goddess’ comforting aura.

“I feel better now. Maybe even better than I did before this whole debacle.”

Nia was happy to see Bast in such high spirits, but she felt her gut twist at what she knew was to come.

“I’m glad,” she squeaked around the lump forming in her throat, making Bast regard her with gentle eyes.

“It is bittersweet; I know.”

“How much time do we have left with them?”

“Until the end of the week.”

Nia sighed and let her gaze drift back to the younger versions of herself and T’Challa. She was explaining her scars to him, and Nia noticed that even then, he looked at her like she was the sun.

“Did you have anything to do with this?”

“You two meeting?”

Nia nodded, and Bast continued, “No, this was all destiny, the universe, whatever you want to call it.”

“Hm. But the time after that?”

“Yes, I did that. I did not know what you two would become, but I knew I needed you on the same team.”

“We’re a good team.”

“That you are,” Bast chuckled.

“What’s so funny?”

“Love is funny, dear.”

Nia thought about it for a moment, and a smirk appeared on her lips after a while. Love is funny. She would have never believed that she’d end up falling in love with the boy from the river that abandoned her for all those years, yet here she was, so in love with him that her subconscious felt like replaying the day they met.

Bast and Nia silently watched the children splash around in the water until their playtime was cut short by T’Chaka calling for his son.

“I should get going, as well,” Bast said, standing on all fours and stretching out her limbs and spine. “Plenty of work to do back home.”

“How is Sekhmet doing?”

“She is stubborn,” Bast groaned. “But I am patient.”

“You’re a dutiful sister.”

Bast smiled warmly and rubbed her large head against Nia’s shoulder.

“Be well, Nia.”

Those words echoed through Nia’s head as she blinked her eyes open and focused them on T’Challa’s smooth brown chest. Her fingertips traced the curly hairs concentrated in the center, and she felt his breathing change.

“Sawubona, baby.”

“Mholo, sithandwa,” he grumbled with his morning rasp, placing a kiss on her eager lips.

“I spoke to Bast last night in my dream.”

“What did she say?” he asked, his hand already kneading her ass for their usual morning lovemaking.

“She’s doing better.”

T’Challa stopped playing with her cheeks and tipped her chin to look up at him.

“You don’t sound happy about that.”

“We only have until the end of the week, then umama and Sego and Oma… everyone has to go back,” Nia’s voice cracked, and a tear escaped her eye that T’Challa quickly wiped away.

As if Nia’s tears were a beacon in the sky, Ithunzi hopped up to comfort her. She crept up Nia’s body and nuzzled her head into the curve of her waist as Nia and T’Challa reached out to pet the intuitive feline.

“We knew this was coming, love. They gave us a whole month.”

“I know, but it still sucks,” Nia pouted.

T’Challa used his free hand to rub her back for a few minutes until an idea came to him that he thought might make the situation a little better.

“Let’s throw a goodbye party for the Returned.”

Nia’s face pinched together.

“You want to throw a party-”

“Yes, it could be a celebration of their lives and our time together. Make it as big or as small as you want, invite the entire country, both realms.”

“I don’t know if we even have enough time to plan something like that.”

“Are you kidding? Mama could have it put together by this evening if you wanted.”

Nia laughed at the truth behind his words, and Ithunzi’s ears perked up.

“Ok, I like the idea. Let’s bring it up in the council meeting.”

“It might soften the blow.”

“Here’s hoping.”

---------

Ever since Nia became queen, every council meeting had been a packed house. The usual inhabitants were there as always, but Nia and her magic realm council, composed of representatives of various magical species, nearly filled up the expansive room.

As had become the norm, Nia and T’Challa presided over the meeting together, each deferring to the other on matters concerning the realm they ruled. Most of the meeting had been about reconstruction efforts on both sides, but as time trudged on, Nia felt a pit growing in her stomach. She wasn’t looking forward to making the announcement about the Returned, and the council responded the exact way she had hoped to avoid.

“What do you mean one week?!” exclaimed an elder obayifo.

Umi of the Merchant tribe piped up next, “That is not enough time!”

“Elder Umi-”

“My daughter,” her voice cracked. “I am not ready to lose her again.”

“Umi,” Ramonda spoke up, placing a hand on the elder’s shoulder, “there is nothing we can do.”

“Bast has already given us this past month; her warning me a week in advance was a courtesy,” Nia added.

“But Nia-”

“Queen Nia,” T’Challa reminded M’Kathu with a stern glance, his hands placed neatly behind his back as he stood like a sentinel at Nia’s side.

“Queen Nia, excuse me. The people will not react kindly to this news.”

Nia looked up from her spot on T’Challa’s throne and met his gaze.

“We actually have an idea that might ease the transition.”

“A celebration,” T’Challa joined in. “We could combine the food, music, and traditions of both realms… make it one big festival.”

The council members nodded amongst themselves before an elder aziza spoke up from his perch.

“We could observe the day every year,” he suggested.

“I like that idea,” Nia agreed. “We’ll need time to grieve collectively.”

“Mama, would you work with whoever of your choosing to bring this to fruition by the end of the week?”

“Of course,” Ramonda answered before turning to Amare and Celeste, who had become Nia’s advisors in the few weeks she’s acted as queen, and she asked them to join her. Naturally, they agreed enthusiastically.

“Any more comments or concerns?” Nia asked, surveying the room with a soft yet firm glare.

“Indlovukazi Nia, if I may?” said a voice from the far left, and Nia craned her neck around T’Challa to see the koolakamba that spoke.

“You may, Jamila.”

“Well, although the past four weeks have been interesting, some of us have concerns about where you will be located.”

“I meant about the festival, but continue.”

“As you know, your palace is still empty-”

“I won’t be ruling from Asha’s palace.”

All eyes turned on Nia.

“With all due respect, you cannot expect to continue using your boyfriend’s palace-”

“I’m aware of that, thank you,” Nia quipped before T’Challa could interject. “I won’t be ruling from here, either. I will be remodeling my home in the coming months with Princess Shuri’s help.”

Nia looked at the princess, and they shared a smile.

“I guess now is as good a time as any,” Shuri said before turning to address the council. “I have started working on something exciting that could make travel between the realms more accessible.”

“But how? Only aziza can travel between the realms,” stated a very proud older aziza with graying braids and majestic yellow wings that fluttered when he spoke.

“Magically, yes, but I essentially scienced the magic. Nia popped back and forth, collecting atmospheric specimens for me to study. What we came up with is sort of an inter-realm portal system.”

“Queen Nia, you wish to do what with these portals?” asked Mandla from his post by the window.

“T’Challa and I both have decided to repair the realms but keep them open. These portals will allow us to travel from Birnin Umlingo to any province and from any province to Birnin Umlingo. Humans may come over to the magic realm if they please, just as magic beings will be free to roam the human realm.”

The room was surprisingly quiet… they had expected some pushback.

“Nobody has anything to say about that?”

“How long until the portals are installed?” M’Baku asked, and several council members nodded along.

“I can’t say for sure… another month or two?” Shuri shrugged, but even though she wasn’t too sure, her answer was good enough for the council.

“Any other questions?” T’Challa asked. When nobody responded, he continued, “We will reconvene next week. I hope to see you all at the festival. You are dismissed.”

The council members saluted their king and queen, and they returned the gesture. One by one, they filed out of the throne room until Nia and T’Challa were its only inhabitants. Nia gazed up at T’Challa as he stared ahead pensively, but instead of meeting her eyes, he turned and walked towards the windows that overlooked the shining skyline of Birnin Zana.

Nia followed him, first with her eyes tracking his shoulders as they swayed with the dip in his walk, then with her body creeping up behind him. She wrapped her arms around his waist, burying her face in his broad back.

“What’s wrong, baby?”

T’Challa was quiet for a moment, but Nia knew him well enough to know that it sometimes took him a minute to get his thoughts together when he was upset.

“You don’t want to stay in the palace. With me.”

Nia smirked as she unwrapped her arms and circled around to stand in front of him.

“I didn’t tell you about the best part of the remodel.”

T’Challa looked down at her with a frown on his face, and his bottom lip unintentionally poked out. Nia couldn’t help but kiss it.

“I want a private portal that just goes from your bedroom to mine… and maybe if you want, we could even build our own space in there.”

“Our own private realm?”

“Exactly. Just us… and Ithunzi because we’d never hear the end of her whining if we kept her out.”

“Of course.” T’Challa’s face softened, and he cracked a tiny smile in the corner of his mouth. He reached out and grabbed Nia’s hips, pulling them closer to his and trailing his large palms around to her ass.

“So, you like that idea or no-”

T’Challa pressed his lips to Nia’s mid-sentence, and she giggled into the kiss.

“I love it.”

“I love you.”

“I love you, too,” T’Challa chuckled and pressed his kimoyo beads, activating the privacy shield on the windows.

“You know, you’re cute when you’re mad,” Nia teased, and T’Challa sucked his teeth, looking away bashfully.

“I wasn’t mad; I was-”

“Upset, angry, pissed off-”

T’Challa backed Nia into the window and started tickling her sides, making her screech and cackle as she squirmed to get away from him.

“Are you going to let me finish?” T’Challa taunted her.

“Yes! St-stop, T’Challa!”

He stilled his movements and grabbed her ass hard enough to separate her cheeks.

“Make me.”

Nia felt a fire ignite in her loins with his words and noticed his eyes reflected that same hunger. She held his gaze while she moved his hand to her lips, wrapping her tongue around two of his fingers and taking them down her throat. When she pulled off, she led his hand down between her legs. The slit in her dress on the left side made for easy access to her treasure trove, and she guided his fingers across her bare pussy, tittering as she watched him register that she wasn’t wearing any underwear.

T’Challa’s fingers explored her folds until her sticky goodness erupted all over his hand, but Nia held him in place and continued to grind her clit into his palm as she heaved lustful breaths into his open mouth.

He grinded his hips forward, and she felt his dick against her thigh, solid as a rock and ready for her. The whimper that escaped her lips made T’Challa moan as her walls contracted around his fingers once more.

“Fuck me, baby,” Nia whimpered again as her body shook with aftershocks from her orgasm.

“Mmm, show me how you want it. Get in position.”

Nia allowed his hand to leave her depths and turned around towards the glistening city, poking her ass out as she lifted her dress up so that he could see all she had to offer. Seconds later, she was filled to the brim with T’Challa’s girth, and she cried out as his hips took no mercy on her.

He knew what she liked. Whenever Nia wanted it from the back, she wanted him to be rough with her. She wanted stinging slaps to her behind, and that’s what she got. She wanted dirty words and hair-pulling and bruises, so T’Challa more than delivered.

T’Challa was climbing towards his third climax when he decided to finally allow Nia to cum after teasing her for several rounds. Despite her earlier orgasms when he fingered her, his denying her orgasm for so long led to an explosion of expletives and fluids from them both.

They stood there panting, fogging up the window Nia was pressed up against for a while until T’Challa pulled his finally flaccid dick from her body.

“So, what will you do with Asha’s palace?” T’Challa asked while they straightened themselves back up.

“Well, first, it needs to be cleansed. It just feels so… ick,” Nia shuddered. “Then, I’m not sure. Maybe repurpose it somehow. I could turn it into a museum or maybe even an embassy or something for humans that visit the magic realm. I haven’t thought too much about it, honestly.”

“You have time.”

T’Challa kissed her forehead before his beads trilled with a notification on his wrist.

“Busy afternoon?”

“Sadly, yes,” T’Challa sighed. “I have been neglecting my duties to the Avengers these past few months, and they are getting impatient. I have a holo-meeting with them soon.”

“You have fun with that.”

“I’ll be thinking of you the whole time.”

“You better.”

---------

Amare made Celeste’s favorite meal for their final night together. Even though she couldn’t eat the fragrant seafood gumbo, she appreciated watching her loved ones enjoy her food. During her time in Wakanda, Amare had ensured that Celeste taught him her recipes that he had missed so much over the years. They spent hours in the kitchen together, either in his baobab tree or their palace suite, cranking out dish after dish until Amare got them right.

Over the months since the Returned arrived, Nia watched her ubaba come alive in ways she’d never imagined. He had always tried to remain strong for her, but despite his mask, his grief over Celeste was always pinned to his chest. For the first time in her entire life, Nia felt like he was truly happy. Seeing him glow when Celeste attempted to kiss him or the way his eyes softened when she called his name filled Nia with a sense of completion that she never realized she lacked.

It wasn’t all because of Amare’s happiness; it was her own, as well. Nia no longer had to wonder what her umama’s laugh sounded like, and that kept her grounded when thoughts of their impending separation made her want to crumble. T’Challa was there for her in those moments, holding her and reassuring her that Celeste would never be too far out of her reach no matter what realm held her soul. Having the usekh helped, too, since she’d still be able to feel Celeste’s presence when she wore it.

“Best of My Love” by The Emotions bounced off every wall in Amare’s baobab tree and blared out into the stillness of the night through the open windows. Every now and then, he would look up from the pot of gumbo and smile at Nia, Celeste, and Amita as they danced around the living room. He still couldn’t believe that Nia and Celeste looked so much like twins, even though Nia was technically older than her mother.

Off to the side of the living room, Sego questioned Oma about what to expect from the realm of the dead, but her cryptic answers weren’t doing much to ease his nerves about the transition. He had spent the past month trying to avoid thinking about his death, but he couldn’t outrun it forever. The problem was that usually, people don’t know when that day is coming for them. However, Sego knew he only had one more day, and it was eating at him.

“Ngaphandle!” Amare fussed, banishing Ithunzi from the kitchen. The curious feline had spent most of the night trying to trip Amare and make him spill some food for her, and he’d finally tired of stepping around her.

Ithunzi sulked out of the kitchen, but her mood instantly brightened when she caught sight of Nia’s smile. The growing cub sauntered over and jumped into Nia’s arms, resting on her hip while she moved to the beat.

“My grandchild knows good music,” Celeste said, and Nia snorted.

“She is not your grandchild, umama.”

“I won’t be here to see my actual grandchildren, so let me claim her.”

Nia suddenly remembered the reason for their gathering and felt her gut twist. It wasn’t just a nice dinner with family and friends. It was a goodbye. The wave of sadness that crashed into Nia’s body made her stop dancing and tense up.

“You ok, baby girl?” Celeste asked.

Nia’s eyes welled up with tears, and she bit her lip as she felt a cool tingling on her face when Celeste reached to wipe away her tears. Ithunzi nuzzled into her shoulder to make her feel better, but Nia was able to hold herself together.

“I’m ok,” she said with an unconvincing nod.

Celeste didn’t want to pry because she knew what was bothering Nia. It was bothering her, too. She cherished the past several months she got to spend with her love again, but above all, Celeste was already missing her daughter. She looked up and locked eyes with Amare in the kitchen, and she noticed his face had turned sad with Nia’s. Every second that ticked by took him closer to losing a piece of himself again, and as much as he realized how blessed he was to have her back in his life for a short while, Amare wanted nothing more than for Celeste to stay longer. With him. With them.

“Dinner’s ready,” Amare broke the awkward silence, his voice missing the playfulness that it had earlier that day.

They all filed to the kitchen and took their seats around Amare’s circular table. Celeste sat between Amare and Nia, and Sego sat on Nia’s other side next to Amita. Oma filled out the table sitting between Amita and Amare.

“Smells amazing,” Sego nearly growled.

“Ngiyabonga, Sego,” Amare chuckled at his enthusiasm.

“What is it?” Amita asked, her mouth already drooling.

“It’s called gumbo.”

“It was my great grandma’s recipe,” Celeste added proudly. “Grandaddy used to make it for us all the time.”

The warmth of the gumbo spread to their spirits as Nia, Amare, and Amita delighted in the food. As time went on, Nia and Amare felt more at ease with the day ahead. They ate as if it were a typical meal and not a goodbye, with chatter flying across the table while the living finished stuffing their faces with the spicy seafood dish.

“So, Nia, it has been a month now. How are you adjusting to your new title?” Oma asked.

Nia sat back and rubbed her stomach as if it would help her food digest quicker while she thought about Oma’s question.

“It still doesn’t feel real. Maybe it will once we finish the remodel, but I feel so busy all the time. I know it won’t always be like this because we’re still trying to fix what Asha and Sekhmet broke, but I could do without so many council meetings.”

Amare and Celeste laughed.

“Have there been any dissenters?”

“The people respect Nia’s bloodline and Bast’s word. We haven’t heard any rumblings.”

“That’s good. Kind of hard to argue with a goddess’ wishes,” said Amita.

“I still can’t believe you’re the queen,” Sego teased, nudging Nia’s shoulder.

“Neither can I some days. T’Challa’s been a big help-”

“I bet he has,” Amita mumbled, making Sego chuckle.

“I’m serious. He has the experience-”

“Yeah, he does,” Sego nodded, and Amita snickered. Even the elders at the table fought their laughter.

“I’m not talking anymore,” Nia threw her hands up before crossing them over her chest in faux annoyance.

“Oh, come on,” Sego pleaded. “You walked right into that one!”

After dinner, the turntable continued to play music well into the night while they drank and played a few rounds of dominoes. Amare played for Celeste, and she and Nia got locked in a heated battle that ultimately went to the elder of the two. Nia pretended to be a sore loser, but the fake pout gave way to a smile as she watched her parents celebrate their victory.

Around midnight, everyone started to feel the fatigue of a long day setting in. Amita was first to go, standing up and stretching her limbs before announcing her leave.

“I’ll walk you out,” Sego said, and while Amita was surprised, she obliged. She hugged Amare and Nia and waved goodbye to Oma and Celeste before leaving the tree home and walking outside with Sego in tow.

“So, what’s up?” she asked, breaking the awkward silence.

“I, um…” Sego’s voice wavered, and he averted his eyes.

Amita sensed something was wrong, so she placed a comforting hand on his shoulder.

“You ok?”

Sego shook his head.

“I know I thanked you already for what you’ve done, but I need to ask you something.”

“Anything.”

“I saw what happened when I died… I saw how bad Nia got. I don’t want her to see me leave her again, so I don’t think I should go to the festival-”

“No.”

“Huh?”

“No,” Amita repeated. “You’re going.”

“But Nia-”

“Will be surrounded by loved ones–a whole country in grief. She’ll be ok, but she won’t be if you just disappear. Besides, you deserve this, too.”

“Me?”

“Yeah, you. Do you want to die alone somewhere or surrounded by loved ones at a party in your honor?”

“When you put it like that….”

“I better see you tomorrow, Sego,” Amita scolded him as she stepped back and spread her emerald green wings.

Sego nodded and watched her take off and fly away into the night. He could hear Nia and her parents’ raucous laughter over the sounds of Stevie Wonder’s melodic voice coming from inside, and his heart dropped into his stomach.

He hadn’t been entirely truthful with Amita. Yes, he was worried about Nia, but more than anything, Sego feared the unknown. He was scared of how death would feel. Scared of being without his best friend.

It was simple; Sego just wasn’t ready to go to the realm of the dead, but there was nothing he could do about it.

---------

The setting sun provided a beautiful backdrop for the festival. Ramonda’s vision for the event was one of unity and support, so she and her team worked relentlessly to make the sad day as perfect as possible for everyone involved. About half of Wakanda was in attendance, the rest choosing instead to stay home and be alone with their Returned loved ones until time ran out.

The procession into the arena was a spectacle unlike anything Wakanda had ever seen. It started at the palace with the royal families and their Returned loved ones parading down the steps and out into the city. Drummers led the march, and Nia’s voice was strong and clear as she sang at the top of her lungs. Each line she recited required participation from the growing crowd, and they did their part, forming a beautiful call and response that seemed to echo across the entire city.

Everyone came dressed for the occasion, taking over the streets of Birnin Zana with a sea of purple. Aziza and winged shifters flew above, whirling in the air with choreographed ease along with the dancers on the ground. Thousands of bodies singing and moving in unison filed into the arena. They were met with large holographic screens broadcasting images of the Returned with heartfelt messages from their loved ones that Ramonda’s team had collected over the past few days.

Each tribe and magical community had its own tradition to honor the dead, but, during her event planning, Ramonda discovered that nobody had anything traditions for souls that had come back. Since they were technically already dead, she took it upon herself to coordinate with the councils and religious leaders to put together something they could all appreciate: a celebration of the miracle they were given in the midst of Sekhmet’s chaos.

The stage was put to good use, with performers from both realms using every inch of it to dance and sing in the Returned’s honor. The costumes were elaborate and colorful, each one holding a special meaning to that performer’s tribe or species. There were moments where the performers had the crowd in tears and others where everyone was compelled to dance and be merry.

Everyone seemed to be determined to enjoy themselves despite the circumstances. A good party had that effect on people. Good parties also tended to make the time fly by, as was the case on this night. Libations flowed from every tap, and people gorged themselves on a delicious smorgasbord of finger foods to keep them energized while the music carried them away. It wasn’t until the moon was high in the sky that the atmosphere shifted, and everyone suddenly remembered the purpose of their gathering.

“It’s happening,” Nia gasped, unraveling herself from T’Challa’s arms on the dancefloor and looking around frantically for Celeste and Sego.

The energy in the room dampened significantly as everyone realized what had occurred.

This was it.

“Nia!”

Nia heard her mother call her name and immediately took off towards her voice with T’Challa on her heels. They found Celeste standing next to Amita, who was crouched down with her arm wrapped around Sego’s shoulders as he hyperventilated.

“I-I can’t-”

“What’s wrong?” Nia asked Amita, her heart shattering at witnessing Sego in such a state.

“He just started freaking out-”

“I don’t want to go,” his voice cracked, and Nia got down on her knees next to him.

“It’s not that bad, honey,” Celeste crooned, stroking the patterns on his bald head. “You won’t even know you’re dead.”

“I’m not ready!”

The weight of unbearable sorrow creeping back into Nia’s bones kept her from speaking, but she threw her arms around him as he wailed. Amare rubbed their backs in circles, and Ramonda placed a comforting hand on his shoulder.

All around them, people had started huddling close to their loved ones, the sound of crying suddenly louder than the drums.

N’Jadaka’s face was set in stone when he and Nia locked eyes. Not only was he losing his father again, but his guilt about Sego’s death resurfaced as he watched the man plead for his life.

No more words were exchanged, just heavy sobs until shrieks of grief pierced the air. Nia looked up and saw that people were beginning to shimmer away. She held Sego tighter and looked at her mother with tear-filled eyes.

“I love you so much,” Celeste said, reaching for Nia’s hand.

“I love you, too, umama.”

Celeste turned to Amare and used her other hand to cup his face. He leaned into the coolness of her attempted touch.

“Goodbye again, love.”

“Sala kahle, sithandwa.”

Just like that, Celeste shimmered away, and Amare shuddered as she left his life again. Ramonda held him as he let the tears stream down his cheeks, unable to tear his eyes away from where Celeste last stood.

Sego held tighter to Nia as he watched Oma and T’Chaka disappear next, then N’Jobu disappeared from his son’s arms, and just when he began to hope that maybe Bast had allowed him to stay, Sego felt himself drifting.

“I’m scared, Nia.”

“It’s ok.”

Sego pressed his lips to Nia’s temple, then faded from her grasp, his kiss still fresh on her skin.

---------

The entire country was in mourning for the next few weeks, and about a month later, construction began on Shuri’s portals and Nia’s renovated home that she refused to call a palace. Each province became home to two portals to accommodate travel in each direction to and from Birnin Umlingo. When the portals first opened, Wakandans showed up in droves, everyone itching to explore the other side. Luckily, the system worked well enough to quickly get people through the long lines and to their destination on time. Over the months, some magic realm inhabitants migrated to the human realm and vice versa, until eventually, the realms became so interwoven that they worked as one.

It helped that the rulers spent a lot of time together, both professionally and personally. Nia ruled from her remodeled home, and T’Challa ruled from his palace in Birnin Zana. However, despite the distance, they were never more than a few yards apart in those times, thanks to the portal Shuri had installed in their rooms connecting their homes to each other at all times. What Shuri didn’t know was that Nia had enchanted the portal to expand the space between the two openings, essentially creating a private realm for just the two of them… and Ithunzi.

Part of their working relationship involved them making rounds to visit the tribes and both realms at the beginning of every month. For five months, Nia, T’Challa, Ithunzi, and the Dora Milaje toured the country together, but when it came time for their sixth tour, T’Challa was out of town assisting the Avengers on a mission in Thailand. Instead of going alone, Nia invited Ramonda to join her, and the two of them spent a beautiful day together experiencing the beauty of Wakanda.

They started in Birnin Zana before traveling to the River province, then the Mining province, followed by Jabarilands and the Border. After visiting all the human tribes, they popped over to the magic realm and strolled through the busy streets of Birnin Umlingo as everyone was closing up shop for the day and rushing home for dinner.

Ramonda had been watching Nia all day, silently observing her as she interacted with her people, both human and magic alike. She had liked Nia since the first time she met her, but seeing her working and communing with the public in such a way gave Ramonda newfound respect for the queen.

“You really are good at this, Nia,” Ramonda commented when a group of young kids of various species left their side after asking Nia what seemed like a million questions.

“That means a lot coming from you.”

“And I truly mean it. The people, they love you on both sides. You and my son are doing a fantastic job together.”

Nia smiled dreamily at the mention of T’Challa.

“He gets that same look in his eye when I mention you,” Ramonda chuckled, making Nia’s grin expand to where it nearly took over her face.

“That’s good to know.”

“So, about my son,” Ramonda began. “You know, I am not getting any younger, and your father and I would both love to see some grandchildren.”

“Ramonda-”

“I am not trying to pry. I am just saying. You have settled into your new role as queen, so what is next for Nia Olu?”

“That’s just it; I don’t feel settled. I feel-”

“Well, if it isn’t my favorite healer,” a husky voice echoed across the town square, and Nia lit up at the familiar rasp.

She turned around and saw the upright crocodile with a toothy grin on his face.

“Mr. Adebayo!” she gasped and rushed over to hug him. “How are you?”

“I’m hanging in there,” he answered before turning to Ramonda and bowing his head in deference. “Queen Mother, a pleasure to have you in our realm.”

“Enkosi.”

“You know, it’s been a while since my last check-up. You still practicing?”

Nia sighed, and her light dimmed a little. She had spent the last few months solely focused on her queen duties and couldn’t remember the last time she healed anything more than a paper cut. Lately, she had missed the satisfying tingle in her palms but had no use for it.

“Cha, I’ve been too busy running this place.”

Mr. Adebayo’s smile faded.

“That’s a shame. You’re the best healer I ever had!”

“You said you haven’t had a check-up since I saw you last?”

Nia’s concern grew when he shook his head. The older crocodile suffered from hypertension, and she wanted to make sure his blood pressure was healthy.

“Are you busy right now?”

“No, just heading home for dinner. Ada’s making my favorite.”

“Got time to swing by my place for a quick visit? I just want to make sure you’re good.”

Ramonda and Ayo parted ways with the rest of the party and traveled back to Birnin Zana, while Nia returned to her home with Mr. Adebayo. His jaw dropped when he saw what had become of the structure. Nia’s small house had been transformed into a modest palace. The former living room had become a throne room, and the kitchen was no longer visible, thanks to a wall that the architects had erected to close off the space. An elaborately carved wooden throne sat in the middle of the room, surrounded by about a dozen tree stumps. The altar against the side wall was even bigger than before, with a black marble statue of Bast in the center. Offerings of food, water, incense, gold, seeds, and shells were spread around the statue's base, along with pictures of Nia’s ancestors and Sego.

Nia led Mr. Adebayo across the wooden throne room floor to a door that blended in with the surrounding wall. She pushed it open, and the hallway appeared that led to her and Amare’s offices that used to be her and Sego’s bedrooms. To the left, an arched doorframe led to the kitchen, and Mr. Adebayo was surprised to see everything looked about the same.

“I’m glad some things never change,” Mr. Adebayo said as he plopped down in his usual chair and ran his rough fingers over the wood grain in the table.

“I couldn’t get rid of everything,” Nia threw over her shoulder, disappearing into her pantry to pull out the herbs she’d need.

As it turned out, Mr. Adebayo’s blood pressure was only slightly elevated, so Nia whipped up a concoction to help lower it and fixed the shoulder that had been giving him problems since he fell on it when the realms collided.

When Nia sent him home, she felt giddy to have healed someone again for the first time in months. Ithunzi watched as she hummed and danced around the kitchen, cleaning up after herself, and followed her outside to watch her blissfully whirl around the thriving garden.

Nia eventually tired of her twirling and did some altar maintenance while she had time. She dusted off Sego’s drum and rearranged the photos on her altar around the statue of Bast before blowing kisses to them all. Then, Nia went down to the river to gather fresh water for her altar.

She took her empty calabash and carried it on her hip as she walked down the road with Ithunzi by her side. The young panther was nearly fully grown, and she was fiercely protective of Nia. So much so that T’Challa never tried to fight Nia on the subject of having a Dora Milaje detail once she put her foot down on the matter. Ithunzi and Nia were a team that nobody wanted to reckon with, but more than anything, they were a pair that loved each other deeply.

When the two of them reached the river, Nia was pleasantly surprised to find nobody else around. She took advantage of the solitude and plopped down on the riverbank next to her four-legged friend, freeing her tired feet from her sandals and letting the running water lick at her toes.

Her hand slid down Ithunzi’s back repeatedly, petting her mindlessly while her thoughts were consumed with memories of her old life. It had been almost a year since that night T’Challa swooped in and caught that trafficker before he could snatch her up, and now here she was… a queen descended from a goddess.

Ithunzi suddenly sat up, startling Nia from her deep thoughts, and she realized the sun had finally left the sky for the night.

“It’s only me,” T’Challa ensured her, having heard her heartbeat going a mile a minute.

Ithunzi ran over to him and rubbed against his leg.

“You’re back early,” Nia said. “How did the mission go?”

T’Challa rolled his eyes as he leaned over to pet Ithunzi.

“I could have done it alone in two days instead of taking a week with them, but teamwork, blah, blah, blah.”

“Someone missed you,” Nia giggled as the panther plopped down and rolled over on her back for more attention.

“Is she the only one?”

“Of course not.”

T’Challa took in Nia’s form like he had never laid eyes on her beauty before. Her springy black coils were untamed for the day and reaching for the stars while her eyes twinkled with excitement over being reunited with him for the first time in over a week. Tiny white dots rested above her eyebrows, and her colorful Ankara jumpsuit popped against her ebony skin. The outfit reminded T’Challa of the first time they met all those years ago in that very spot, and he felt himself being pulled towards her as if she had him under a spell.

If she did, he didn’t care.

Nia’s pouty lips called to him, but before he could get too carried away, he pulled a bouquet of flame lilies from behind his back with a mischievous smile. Nia gasped and snatched the flowers from his hands, burying her face in them and inhaling the fresh scent.

“From Sukutai,” he said. “She called and told me they just bloomed this morning.”

“They’re beautiful. Thank you, baby.”

Nia leaned in to kiss him, and his hungry lips met her halfway. The world around them melted away until nothing existed but the two of them. Nothing mattered except the feel of his lips on hers, her fingers exploring the coils at the base of his neck, her tongue brushing against his. Nia and T’Challa melted into each other and only returned to their senses because they remembered they weren’t in the privacy of their realm.

They pulled apart, giggling like teenagers.

“What are you doing sitting out here?” he asked, wrapping his arms around her waist and pulling her body closer to his.

“Thinking.”

“About?”

Nia told him about her day and her experience with Mr. Adebayo, and T’Challa listened intently. He had secretly wondered if she missed her old life but never brought it up. Her words only confirmed his suspicions.

“-and then, I don’t know, I just came here, and I’ve been just sitting here thinking ever since,” Nia finished. “It’s not that I don’t like being queen. It’s just that I don’t feel like myself anymore.”

“Then open your practice again. You may not have time for walk-ins, but you could do it by appointment only. Maybe one day a week or something.”

Nia stared at him with her eyes wide.

“I don’t know how I didn’t think of that.”

“It might be a hard adjustment at first, but you’re used to that by now. If I can juggle being king and Black Panther, you can handle being queen and a healer.”

Nia smiled.

“What would I do without you?”

“You would probably be just fine,” he said as he gripped her hand, intertwining their fingers. “But without you, I’d be lost.”

His deep brown eyes were heavy with sincerity, and Nia felt every syllable. She kissed him and rested her forehead against his, and they stayed like that until the chorus of frogs ribbiting and crickets chirping crescendoed around them.

“We should go home,” Nia whispered.

“A little longer,” T’Challa protested, pulling her onto his lap.

Nia was too comfortable to argue, so she settled into his warmth and rested her head on his shoulder.

Her love.

Her flirty, arrogant, calculating, kindhearted love.

The love that she never saw coming, that she never thought she’d get.

And while Nia’s mind wandered to all the ways she loved him, T’Challa couldn’t help but do the same. Except while Nia thought of the past and present, T’Challa thought of the future.

“Nia?”

“Hm?”

Silence.

Nia pulled back to meet his deep brown eyes and found that he was gazing at her with so much tenderness.

“What is it, baby?”

“We live together. We rule a country together… when are you going to let me be your husband?”

The words floated in the air for a moment before settling on Nia’s ears like the warmest of blankets.

“My husband?”

“Yes,” he cooed, kissing the inside of her wrist. “Your husband, the father of your children-”

“Multiple?!”

T’Challa chuckled.

“However many you allow, sithandwa.”

“Hm… two wouldn’t be too bad. No more than three, though. Maybe four… I guess a big family would be kind of nice. I- what?”

T’Challa’s gap-toothed grin took over his entire face.

“So that’s a yes?”

“You haven’t asked me a yes or no question,” Nia teased, nudging his shoulder with her pointer finger.

“But if I did, you’d say….”

Nia kissed his cheek and tried to get up, but he held her down while she squirmed on his lap to get away.

“You’ll have to ask me and find out,” Nia laughed, but he caught a glimpse of her answer in her eyes.

She was his.

T’Challa saw forever when he looked at her and had for quite some time. Truthfully, he fell in love with her that first day they spent together looking for Bast, and he’d been spending all this time waiting for her to catch up. Nia was finally on the same page as him, and though he wouldn’t wait much longer, T’Challa decided then and there that he’d ask for her hand when she’d least expect it.

The End

Nia and T'Challa will return in "Blossoming Ashes"

Dear readers,

Thank you so much for sticking it out with me on this journey. I have a lot of emotions about finishing this series, but mostly I’m thankful. Thankful to you all and to my beta readers for making me a better writer over the past year that I’ve worked on this story. So, huge shoutout to @nonbineraryitinerary, @ljstraightnochaser, and @goddessofmischief0711 for making this story possible!

Nia and T’Challa will return in my currently untitled (but fully outlined) Troubled Waters sequel that I’ll start probably around the time Wakanda Forever comes out. Here’s what I have lined up for the next few months, and here’s my masterlist so you can check out my other stories.

If you liked this story, I ask that you please reblog the series masterlist so other people can find it, too.

Once again, thank you. This has truly meant a lot to me.

Love,

Cece

PS. Join me for a Black Panther watch party on 11/4!

Taglist: @maddeningmayhem, @theblulife, @motheroffae, @love-mesome-me, @toni9, @dersha89 , @impremenior , @ljstraightnochaser, @love—life—passion, @yourstrulybrii, @hon-eey , @ariesthetouchdeprivedgirl , @viva-asgardia, @ashanti-notthesinger r, @brattyfics , @cecereads209 , @wakandan-smuts-forever , @miryalle , @rolemodelshit , @afrosandsweatpants , @queengodiva619 , @goddessofmischief0711 , @chereedrop619 , @blkbutterfly816 , @violettedelightz, @sarifinasnightmare , @afriendlyblackhottie , @brihann , @nonbineraryitinerary, @musicisme333 , @strangeprincex

#cecewritessometimes #black panther fanfiction #black panther au #fantasy au #aziza #troubled waters #t'challa fanfiction #t'challa x black!oc #black!oc #Spotify

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